Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

iPhone 7 Notification Light?

Alchematron

Alchematron

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jan 22, 2007
1,012
24
Maui Hawaii
Do you want a iPhone 7 Notification Light?

It baffles me that Apple continues to leave out a notification light on the iPhone!

No, not a camera flash notification which is already possible, but a dedicated notification light on the dark screen that lights up when the phone is in sleep mode.

Supposedly people check their phones a ridiculous 150 times per day! Who wants to be a slave to their phone? How many times have you had to constantly monitor your phone by clicking the home button when expecting an important call, text, or email? I thought these gadgets are called smart phones to make our lives more productive and simpler? Not slave phones!

My prehistoric clam shell phone from over 10 years ago even had a notification light when I missed a call or had a voice mail.

The idea is simple

Red Light: Missed Call or Voice Mail

Green Light: New Text

Blue Light: New Email

And you could configure in settings for a blinking light, steady light, or off. And for Facebook and Facebook Messenger too. Also at night you could turn off the ringer and vibrate so you or your partner can sleep, but still be notified of a important call, text, or email when the phone is by the bed.

We pay nearly a thousand dollars every few years for a state of the art smart phone and large monthly phone and data fees, yet Apple a multi billion dollar company can not add a simple notification light?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Cutiekitty92, Newtons Apple, appygirl82 and 2 others
I actually wouldn't mind a notification light. I've been wanting one on the iPhone for a few years now.

If they ever added one, it would be nice to customize it (turning off notifications for certain apps).
 
  • Like
Reactions: appygirl82 and Darryjr
ARizz44 said:
I have no need or desire for a notification light. If I have the self awareness to look over at my phone to try and see if a light is blinking or not, I can tap the home button. I love my phone, but that level of attachment is exceeding.
Click to expand...

As I mentioned, there would be a on/off button when not needed. At least we should have the option of a notification light for the amount we pay for these things!
 
Applejuiced said:
This comes up every single year.
No, Apple will not install any blinking Christmas lights besides the camera flash light in the back that you can enable for certain functions.
Click to expand...

It comes up every year because people want it. Simple consumer demand that Apple fails to deliver every year! And is reflected in declining sales from competitors.
 
  • Like
Reactions: pixel_junkie
Alchematron said:
It comes up every year because people want it. Simple consumer demand that Apple fails to deliver every year! And is reflected in declining sales from competitors.
Click to expand...

I am guessing that 1 billion phones sold indicates that people are fine without it. I am not trying to be argumentative, but I would be willing to bet declining sales are not in any way tied to a blinking light.
 
  • Like
Reactions: areyes163, ladytonya, AZhappyjack and 3 others
ARizz44 said:
I am guessing that 1 billion phones sold indicates that people are fine without it. I am not trying to be argumentative, but I would be willing to bet declining sales are not in any way tied to a blinking light.
Click to expand...

I would bet of those 1 billion customers, a large percentage would use the notification light if given the option. As I mentioned in the original post, one would have the option for blinking, solid, or off.
 
Alchematron said:
It comes up every year because people want it. Simple consumer demand that Apple fails to deliver every year! And is reflected in declining sales from competitors.
Click to expand...

Only a couple people here and there ask for it.
I wouldn't want it and I dont see Apple including such colorful lights and functionality for a few nostalgic previous Android/Blackberry users.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ladytonya
Alchematron said:
I would bet of those 1 billion customers, a large percentage would use the notification light if given the option. As I mentioned in the original post, one would have the option for blinking, solid, or off.
Click to expand...
It's like Apple including a stylus with an iPhone. Useful? Yes. Ever going to happen? Doubt it.

This was a much much bigger deal back in 2007 when the first iPhone came out. Pretty much every other smartphone had one.

The iPhones never had it, and unless they can do it in some unique way, I don't see it happening.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Applejuiced
I would like to see this, but will not happen. I can live without it. Android is not worrying switching over for a notification light. @Applejuiced said it best.
 
If the rumored new home button comes true.. there's zero reason for them at this point not to make a smaller ring that lights up on that button. This could be color controlled for different types of notifications as well. Unless they really are going to get rid of the home button next year.. then don't do that.. but they could easily put a light sensor in the button now because the "press" isn't real anymore.
 
aristobrat said:
It's like Apple including a stylus with an iPhone. Useful? Yes. Ever going to happen? Doubt it.

This was a much much bigger deal back in 2007 when the first iPhone came out. Pretty much every other smartphone had one.

The iPhones never had it, and unless they can do it in some unique way, I don't see it happening.
Click to expand...

What I outlined was for simple illustration. Surely Apple would put their own unique spin on it. I bring up the topic because it is a function that I need and want. I work in a job where notifications are mission critical and urgent. I'm loyal to Apple for over 20 years, but getting tired of paying money and not getting what I want. I'm sure there are others out there that feel the same.
 
Why be loyal to a company by buying a device that doesn't meet one of your major requirements, especially if it seems like there's no chance in hell they'll ever implement it?

I'll never understand why people do that year after year. Putting up with devices that don't meet their needs just because they're "loyal"?!?

I've been using Apple stuff for personal use for a long time. I enjoy it. But I'm not "loyal" enough to buy a device from them thats missing a major feature that I needed for my work.

Buy an Apple Watch and get your alerts there. That's the current iPhone alert method that Apple seems to be going after.

I'm not saying that Apple shouldn't do an alert light. Not saying that you shouldn't complain about that feature missing. But at some point, read the tea leaves and put yourself first and get a phone that has one. Maybe if everyone who needs an alert light did that, Apple would listen.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Applejuiced and machtv
I thought the notification light was a must have, but having used Android where you could easily customize the color for all kinds of incoming notifications...etc. I found it unhelpful. For one, I probably overconfigured it. Did not realize how many notifications come in these days for most of us. It's going to be on all the time or glowing all kinds of different colors.

If you're going to use a notification light: only have like 3 possible colors: missed call, email, maybe if you have any FB messages or whatever.

But honestly I don't miss it, at all. It turns out it's not a must have and serves to make us even more compulsive when we already look at the phone every 3 minutes regardless.
 
Nokia had an elegant pulsing notification light on their home button, plus always on displays.Samsung is doing something similar to that now with their always on display. It's a better solution than a notification light, and a quick glance at the screen can show you what notifications you may have waiting from which apps. Hopefully something we will see when Apple go OLED next year
 
Nope. Even android is starting to move away from them. Annoying as hell. Just check your notifications
 
Alchematron said:
Red Light: Missed Call or Voice Mail

Green Light: New Text

Blue Light: New Email

And you could configure in settings for a blinking light, steady light, or off. And for Facebook and Facebook Messenger too. Also at night you could turn off the ringer and vibrate so you or your partner can sleep, but still be notified of a important call, text, or email when the phone is by the bed.
Click to expand...
Not once have I ever thought to myself "I wish the iPhone had a notification light." I have a G4 and I don't care for the notification light.
Even if they did add one you really expect them to allow customization on it?
 
Alchematron said:
Do you want a iPhone 7 Notification Light?

It baffles me that Apple continues to leave out a notification light on the iPhone!

No, not a camera flash notification which is already possible, but a dedicated notification light on the dark screen that lights up when the phone is in sleep mode.

Supposedly people check their phones a ridiculous 150 times per day! Who wants to be a slave to their phone? How many times have you had to constantly monitor your phone by clicking the home button when expecting an important call, text, or email? I thought these gadgets are called smart phones to make our lives more productive and simpler? Not slave phones!

My prehistoric clam shell phone from over 10 years ago even had a notification light when I missed a call or had a voice mail.

The idea is simple

Red Light: Missed Call or Voice Mail

Green Light: New Text

Blue Light: New Email

And you could configure in settings for a blinking light, steady light, or off. And for Facebook and Facebook Messenger too. Also at night you could turn off the ringer and vibrate so you or your partner can sleep, but still be notified of a important call, text, or email when the phone is by the bed.

We pay nearly a thousand dollars every few years for a state of the art smart phone and large monthly phone and data fees, yet Apple a multi billion dollar company can not add a simple notification light?
Click to expand...
As AJ indicated this comes up a lot. Been multiple threads with multiple pages on it.

There are two camps here on MR. Those who want a light (I am in that group) and those who think that it only takes you a split second to pick up your phone, light the screen and check.

I'm not going to repeat the argument here. But I am responding to mention a new opinion.

I think it's quite possible Apple will split the difference with the 2017 iPhone. Reportedly, next year's iPhone gets AMOLED screens. If you understand the difference between normal LED screens, which the current iPhone and the iPhone 7 will have, and AMOLED screens then you know that you can light specific pixels on an AMOLED screen without turning on ALL of the screen.

THAT can be quite useful to display notifications on an iPhone screen while keeping the rest of the screen dark. And it achieves what us notification light people want while not actually HAVING a notification light. Keeping the rest of the screen dark will somewhat pacify the battery consumption worriers.

Of course Apple will probably put it's own spin on it (as you mentioned above) but it's a middle ground I think that will satisfy most customers. Being able to switch it on/off will probably be another plus.

Now that's just my opinion, but it's been brought up before. I think it's likely.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Applejuiced and Newtons Apple
One of the guys at work has a Lumia with that feature. Even with the phone "off" there is still an icon for unread email/text. I'd actually forgotten about it until you mentioned it, but it could be a useful alternative.
 
Nermal said:
One of the guys at work has a Lumia with that feature. Even with the phone "off" there is still an icon for unread email/text. I'd actually forgotten about it until you mentioned it, but it could be a useful alternative.
Click to expand...
Yes. I think it would satisfy both camps. Each one is entrenched in their opinion of a notification light and this is sort of a middle ground - especially if it can be turned off.

It will also be useful to have the iPhone display the time and date continually while the rest of the screen is off.

I believe it's one of the reasons Apple is going to AMOLED, but of course I have no proof.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back